An Interview with Sir Ken Robinson: You Are the System and You Can Change Education
An interview by Stephen Noonoo with Ken Robinson about his new book, "You, Your Child and School" "Education...
Articles + Resources
Rethinking ADHD
In this provocative article, author Susie Garlick notes, “ADHD children are not horrible, undisciplined or unruly children, we have just created a world that no longer allows them to fit inside the box…All children need rules, routines and expectations to feel safe and secure, but we must stop setting them up for failure and begin helping them succeed.”
Promoting Self-Regulation in the First Five Years
Self-regulation is how we manage our feelings, energy level and thoughts in productive ways that help us stay connected with others and focused on goals in spite of challenges or disruptions.
Read this summary of findings on self-regulation from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It’s one of a series of five briefs on self regulation.
No more mud kitchens…
If you know me, you know I love mud! So, why am I against mud kitchens? If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my time with Nature Explore, it’s the value of loose parts and open-ended materials…
The impact of “I love to watch you play!”
A recent blog post by Rachel Macy Stafford on Huffington Post turned me on to this simple but powerful sentence:
I love to watch you play.
Read on to learn what this has to do with parents of athletes and why I love this life-changing phrase so much!
Documenting Learning in New Zealand
Educators in New Zealand have a number of qualitative ways to document student learning, from infants onward, including "Learning Stories" and more. Examples of Documenting Learning Anecdotal evidence, gathered from observations, evidence from formative assessment tasks, student or parent voice - all are valid ways of identifying areas where students may need modified instruction. Gathering evidence about student achievement serves two roles in a teaching inquiry. It helps...
Risk in Play and Learning: Ubud-Höör Declaration
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="350"] The Risk in Play and Learning document[/caption] Risk-taking is Essential for Children's Well-being This...
Nurturing Students with Special Needs in Nature
What is a reading forest and how might it benefit children with disabilities? Read all about it in...
Urban Schools and Outdoor Learning
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="400"] Read the whole article[/caption] Great article from The Guardian on Five easy ways urban schools can experiment with outdoor learning. Just go outside - ask, can we do this outside? Small is okay - even a small outdoor space can have container gardens, bucket ponds, logs or bug houses. Bring nature indoors - plant seeds, catch bugs, invite wildlife specialists. Look what's nearby - and make...
Rock that Recess…
I sit at my desk and hear the crowds of children on the playground at our neighborhood school – where does all that exuberant noise come from? And where does it go by the time we become adults? Jill Valet over at Edutopia explores the proven benefits of recess, including improved behavior and social skills, and five steps to a recess-friendly playground.To Improve School Climate, Examine Recess